Africa missed out on the scientific breakthroughs that revolutionized agriculture in Asia. However, with locally developed and locally relevant technologies, a built-up human and institutional capacity, and supportive national policy and leadership, an African Green Revolution can be a reality.
In 2009, for the first time since the 1950s and the early stages of the Green Revolution, food security was taken seriously by policy-makers. There was substantial output from the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, and with studies by the U.S.
Africa missed out on the scientific breakthroughs that revolutionized agriculture in Asia. However, with locally developed and locally relevant technologies, a built-up human and institutional capacity, and supportive national policy and leadership, an African Green Revolution can be a reality.
It is now 42 years since the term "Green Revolution" was coined by Dr William Gaud of the USA to describe advances in production arising from productivity improvement. Even in 1968 I had concluded that if farm ecology and economics go wrong, nothing else would go right in agriculture.
India has made rapid progress in food grain production during second half of the 20th century in which Punjab has played a leading role. However, the growth rate in the state has slowed down over the years and now there is practically a plateauing of the productivity of wheat and rice, the two most important food grain crops.
CHENNAI: The father of the Green Revolution, C. Subramaniam, had the foresight to envision a second green revolution for the nation, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said on Wednesday.
